2009 - We'll miss you - thank goodness you're gone!

On this, the last day of 2009, I'm doing what so many others are doing - looking back, trying to make sense of a year that made no sense, finding blessings to count regardless, and wondering what the New Year will bring. Whew!

Nothing quite like a year that dumps 40% of your retirement nest egg into the trash bin. If you have just stepped across the retirement threshold that does get your attention!

And 2009 was the year that I went back to work. Technically, I was fully retired for only a very brief time. and three days a week is a very nice work week thank you. Especially in view of the preceding paragraph!

In 2009 Westover went to two services - had to pick early or late (for the times I wasn't at both). In 2010 they will tweak the class schedules so that we get to stay for what amounts to both services.

Took Uncle Sam and the City of Austin up on rebates and tax credits and installed a new A/C, toilets and water heater. Nice to be cool in the summer and have hot water when you want it. Also connected to City sewer, but didn't have any choice in that. Nor did we have a choice when the City came to chop down all the trees in the back yard. The City giveth, and the City taketh away.

Checked out Fresno and got the guided tour of Yosemite. Loved both. Like the Governator says, "We'll be back."

Endured 6 weeks of Physical Therapy. The Electro-Stim gets rave reviews; the exercises were a pain, (literally).

Went to my 50th High School Reunion. Boy, those folks are getting old.

Watched the Longhorns win 13 games and lose none; it was always neat seeing Colt and Jordan at church. Beat Alabama!

And we lived through the blizzard of '09 - you know, the one where the promised 2 inches of snow turned out to be 2 snowflakes - unlike the real blizzard of '09 which a lot of you really did have to live through.

So what about 2010? I know I'll retire again - probably about April. The Longhorns will win a National Championship - maybe two, if mens basketball stays on track.

And I'll blog about whatever happens.

Happy New Year

Monday Meanderings - Dec 28

We thoroughly enjoyed our quiet Christmas day - especially in light of the chaos thousands experienced with  storm-disrupted travels. We are blessed. We did find that eating all three meals at home felt really strange, however. And that just points out there is a real benefit in getting up and going to Fran's for breakfast - you don't spend the day in your PJs.

We had our annual Christmas eve service at church. It's sort of a strange mix between kid-oriented Jingle Bells and some really nice Christmas worship music. Becky Orick sang "Breath of Heaven" (Mary's Song) to keyboard and guitar accompaniment (gasp!). She has an incredible voice. And I got to add a lot of reverb - don't often get to do that.

At the moment we are being besieged by House Finches at the bird feeder. They are sparrow-like birds, except the males have red coloring on the head and breast and they all have a mottled front. Currently feeding sunflower seed to attract the song birds and the finches can empty the feeder in about three days. Also seeing more Goldfinches these days.

I mentioned my award for 250 hours of volunteering at RFB&D. I noticed on the newsletter that at the same award ceremony a woman I work with was cited for more than 11,500 hours of service! That's... well never mind. That's a lot.

Rob mentioned aluminum Christmas trees and my sister commented that Mom and Pop's tree was still in use as part of John and Joann's decorations. Here are some pictures she sent. Very nice.

 

Closed Christmas Day

This blog will be closed Christmas Day to allow the blogger to enjoy the day with his family.

See you Monday - and Merry Christmas!

What's your earliest Christmas memory?

At the Cousins Christmas, some were discussing earliest memories. Barb and I continued that discussion over lunch yesterday, and that got me to thinking about what my earliest Christmas memory is. I've given this some thought and the earliest I can come up with is proudly wearing a cowboy hat, chaps, and toting a pair of cap pistols in my new holster. These items were most certainly a Christmas present, and I place that memory when  we lived in the house on Hullum Street, so I would have been five or less.

Somewhere in that same era is the recollection of a package arriving from Grandmother Anderson; a gift for me in that parcel was a puzzle of the United States, with the pieces made up by the various shapes of the states.

How about you? What's the very earliest Christmas memory that you have?

Monday Meanderings - Dec 21

This past Saturday was the Cousins Christmas get-together. This is the evolution of Christmas with my parents - then Christmas with the children of my parents - and someday Christmas with the grandchildren of my parents. It's a great get-together, primarily thanks to my brother and sister, who do the heavy lifting needed to pull this off. Thanks.

I truly believe that every car registered in the State of Texas (and some from Oklahoma) was on IH-35 on Saturday. Several times we experienced the unique state of slowing to a total stop in the middle of nowhere; sometimes because of the presence of an emergency vehicle, sometimes for no reason we could ascertain.

I'll be the first to admit that Central Texas is not known as a travel destination to see Fall color in the trees of the region, but here and there we are treated to touches of color that give us a small sense of satisfaction. Some years are better than others, depending on rainfall and the date of the first freeze, among other things. So after a watering-restricted heavy drought summer and an early hard freeze, we really didn't expect much this year, but we've been amazed. There are hundreds of astoundingly colorful trees along our route and when the sun is shining brightly, as it has been the last couple of days we have been doing a lot of ooh-ing  and ahh-ing.

From time to time I have seen a gentleman volunteering at the RFB&D studios who, by his appearance, looks like... um... well, a homeless person. The other day I asked about him and he indeed is a homeless person, who has more than 800 hours in volunteer time! He comes in regularly when things are going well - but disappears periodically when his particular demons prevail. Remarkable.

Sorry, I had to add the funky word verification thingy to comments. Some spammer now has me on a list and has slammed me for the last few blogs with ads for phony stock offerings (or worse). Hopefully this is some automated process and can't get past the word thingy.

Do you suppose, if you get a Christmas card from your favorite eating place, it means you go there too often? No, I didn't think so.

Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wise man, who was turned away for bringing a fruitcake.

And here is interesting examples of elevator door art. Barb brought this first set to my attention - a mural near the elevator in a plastic surgeon's office that casts the rider in the role of Adam on the Sistine Chapel:

  And this one is courtesy of a divorce lawyer (click on the picture to see the whole thing):

An ongoing project

Ongoing, in that the total number of trips to Home Depot is still unknown. We're at either three, or two if you don't count the first exploratory trip to see what materials were available. The project? I showed you the deficiencies we discovered when we put in new, skinnier toilet tanks. The project is to cover up alleviate those deficiencies. There has been a great deal of discussion (oh, my yes) to determine exactly how we were going to go about this. Barb was in favor of actually getting it done, so her approach was, "Who can we hire to do this?" My approach was, "You know, it really doesn't look that bad."

Primarily, the discussion centered around the back bath and the need to pull off the existing wallpaper and do something new there, since there was no possibility of matching the old wall paper after patching the hole. Barb went so far as to talk to a friend of ours who is experienced in this sort of thing; he came over and looked at it and said, if it were up to him he would just put wainscoting behind the tank.

Duh. Two (or three if you are picky) trips to Home Depot and two hours after getting home we have the results:

Now the discussion turned to the front bath. I'm all  in favor of more wainscoting, but SWMBO said paint. To my chagrin, the left over paint seems viable, so paint it is. After spraying on some texture (hopefully only three or four attempts there) we'll use a very skinny roller and apply some paint. Wainscoting may not be out of the picture yet, so this remains a work in progress. I'll let you know how many more trips it takes.

A Slippery Slope...

This is a very dangerous precedent, Not only have we been to TWO theater-type movies in the same calendar year, they were within SIX MONTHS OF EACH OTHER! Ya'll, I'm not sure that the world can handle our going to the movies every six months; it's time to slow down.

The movie? Blind Side, of course. If you have watched any sports on TV in the last 3 months you've seen the promotional trailers for this move about Michael Oher and how a white Memphis family intervened in his life to change what was surely another black ghetto tragedy into what appears to be a successful career in the NFL. It's a true story, and incredible in itself. We first heard about Oher when Sports Illustrated published an excerpt from Michael Lewis' book, “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.” To be sure, Lewis' book is not just about Oher - he's just one part of the evolution of the left tackle in pro sports, but the movie is about Michael and the Tuohy family who adopted him. Literally.

Here's a (lengthy) synopsis of the story, but I really recommend you go to the movie. It will make you feel good - and disturb you at the same time.

Now, where was that movie guide? We're on a roll here.

Monday Meanderings - Dec 14

Yes! Sunshine! It has been such a dreary week.

At the gas station the other day the guy across from me was filling a plastic gas can. A friend of his hailed him and asked what was up. "I ran out of gas." was his reply. "Do you need a lift?" the friend asked. "No, there's my truck right there." and pointed to a pick up in the driveway with its rear end just sticking out into the street. Seems he could have pushed it that far.

I got a Certificate of Appreciation from Reading For The Blind organization recently. It seems that my participation with that group now totals more than 250 hours. Wow. At 2 hours a pop that's 125 sessions. That's also about 5000 pages read.

I have two words: Cowboys, December, sigh. No, that last is not one of the words. It's me sighing in disgust once again.

I stepped out to get the mail the other afternoon and found this bad boy sitting on a branch over the driveway. He (or she) was pretty calm as I went back for the camera and even when I walked (nervously) under the limb to get the mail. This is a Red Shouldered Hawk - not a rare bird, but not often seen this far west. It is a big bird, measuring a little better than a foot from the branch to the top of the head. I can't exactly add it to my list of birds at the feeder. Maybe it should go down as birds feeding on birds at the feeder.

The Kiln Opening

Our friend Don Brimberry had a home show and kiln opening last Saturday. I've mentioned Don before and many of you know him and his wife Tera. He's a potter and unique in that he actually makes a living with his craft. On weekends he travels to Arts and Crafts shows across the state, showing his ware; during the week he holes up in his studio behind his house and makes the lovely objects that he sells. Three times a year he has an Open House and Kiln Opening and invites the public.

The Open House part is pretty simple - they bring in tables and benches and display his current inventory of pieces. The Kiln Opening is quite a different thing. Prior to the opening weekend he makes a variety of different pieces (to get an idea of the types of things he does, go here) fires them, applies the glazes (this is where his unique brand of artistry come in) and then fires the pieces again.

His kiln is large - about six feet tall, four feet deep and five feet wide. It is a metal box lined two-deep with fires bricks and a large opening on one side. After he fills the kiln (using multiple shelves of fire-resistant clay) he then bricks up the opening with more fire bricks - also two deep. There is a propane-fired burner system and he lights that - heating the kiln to 2400 degrees for about 12 hours. Of course, I forgot to take a camera, but here's a link to Don's website that describes the kiln and the firing process. Sort of makes you think about Daniel, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Side story: I mentioned to my boss John that I had been in his neighborhood for the kiln opening and he said, "Would that be Brimberry on Tumblewood Trail?" Surprised, I said, "Yes, do you know Don?" John, who is a volunteer fireman in that area, said, "No, but the C-Bar Fire Department has him on a very special list. Anyone with that big a propane tank who makes fires that hot is well known to us."

After the kiln cools several days so that the pieces can be handled, the attendees gather as Don opens it, literally removing the "door" one brick at a time. When it is sufficiently open, be lifts each piece out, and describes what he had in mind and how he went about making the piece. There is a great deal of suspense for Don when he opens the kiln - even as a skilled potter he cannot exactly predict how the glazes will fire and what the combination's will look like. The firing affects different glazes differently, and even the placement within the kiln can make a difference. One piece was red on one side and white on the other. It should have been red on both sides but one side was sufficiently hotter than the other, causing the difference. According to Don, some openings have been disasters as untested glazes ran down and fused the pots to the shelf. Saturday was a really good opening - we all oohed and aahed at every piece; only a couple of cups were stuck to the shelf (that raises the price, because you have to add about $60 for the cost of the shelf - they can't be separated without breakage).

There were probably 100 to 125 pieces in this firing, and as Don brought them out, people spoke up for items they wanted - which is a little dangerous, because Don prices them after he describes them and tells what he was trying to achieve.

And our piece? A goblet that will serve as a flower vase.

Monday Meanderings - Dec 7 (2nd Edition)

I guess it's no secret that I write these blogs ahead and schedule them for future posting, Certainly not now that this Monday Meandering escaped into the wild last Thursday. Made a break for it, as it were. So this is the NEW, REVISED, MUCH-IMPROVED version of that premature missive! Interestingly, if you use Google Reader to keep up with your blogs, the old version is still out there, even though I immediately deleted it from BlogSpot.

On the occasion of the 22nd Anniversary of my association with RSI,  I got a card signed by all my fellow workers. Most wrote little platitudes of congratulations; John, the owner, wrote "Is Barbara ever going to let you come home?" Hmmm

As I was leaving the house the other morning a dog sled came whizzing by. Now I know some of you have seen snow over the last week, but you know that we have not. And the dogs were not pulling a sled exactly, it was a bicycle-sized scooter (think child's scooter with bike wheels). Three good-sized (but not huge) dogs were harnessed to this scooter, pulling it and some guy with bugs on his teeth at a really good clip. I love Austin.

Friday night (yes, the day of the epic non-blizzard of '09) I had to go run sound for the annual Westover Preschool Christmas program. As far as I'm concerned, this event is an hour and a half that I'll never get back. For the hundred or so parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. it is a holiday photo opportunity. I just wish I had the cash that went for cameras and video recorders that were in that room.

I wore my Santa hat because Baby It's cold out there (what would you expect after a non-blizzard?) but when I walked in the door a little boy took one look at me, tuned up, and went screaming for Mama. I guess he's had a bad Santa experience. I'll bet the Santa did too.

And on Saturday morning after a hard freeze, we had a leaf fall. When the sun came up and warmed the leaves still remaining in the trees in our neighborhood, they all agreed it was time to let go and leaves were just showering down, even though there was no breeze. A very striking sight.

And I leave you with a cute, but surprised kitten.

Winter is in! Part 1 ** 3:00 PM Final Update **

Okay y'all. I'm trying something new here - blog updates throughout the day. Here's the deal. Everyone is forecasting SNOW in Austin. Now you guys that live up in the Arctic belt - that range from Lubbock to Dallas - you get this stuff all the time, but Austin is not known as a winter wonderland. We've never had a white Christmas; in the entire 1990's decade we had a total of 1/2 inch of the white stuff. Thus far in the current decade we have had an inch and 1/2. Total. Adding up 4 different snow falls. You have to go back to 1985 to get a snowfall here of more than 2 inches at one time.

So, as we watch the evening news this Thursday night, the weather guy says, "Two inches tomorrow, Eighty percent chance." Of course he also said some models disagree. So, TxDOT is out tonight dumping 250,000 gallons of toxic de-icer on the overpasses, followed by tons of sand that will clog the sinuses for WEEKS afterwards. Will it snow? Or will it be the usual coating of ice that cripples the city and gives the body shops a very merry Christmas?

So keep checking back for updates. 

8 AM Texas time
Made it through the night with no snow. Got up numerous times to check. Or maybe that was the caffeine-laden Frape I had last night. We've assessed our situation and determined we are not sufficiently prepared for the onslaught, so we are making an emergency run for provisions. You know, stuff like Kleenex, pickles and Tabasco sauce. Loading the car with extra blankets, chains and MREs. Oh, wait. We don't have any of those things. Never mind. If you don't hear from us in the next 8 hours, tell the Search and Rescue we were going straight to Fran's and then to Walmart.

10:30 AM Texas time
It was horrific! The roadways were crammed with weary travelers trying to get home safely before the onslaught! Barb said it was just the normal morning rush hour traffic, but obviously she does not appreciate the situation. Everywhere you looked there was black ice. At least I thought so, but you really can't see black ice can you, UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE!! Thankfully we returned to the shelter of our home safely. Barb says she saw a snowflake, but I think she was just over-excited.

12:30 PM Texas time
The sun is shining! I think that's a bad sign snow-wise. And the temperature is up to 39, after a low of 37 when we made our provisioning dash. I don't think we're in Wonderland any more, Toto.

1:10 PM Texas time
SNOW! Oh, me of little faith. There are multiple snowflakes drifting around outside. As in more than a dozen! At last, all that preparation has paid off.

3:00 PM Texas time
It's over. More than a dozen doth not a snowfall make. The sky is blue, the weather advisory has been called off. The sirens I've been hearing are not emergency vehicles rushing to free people trapped in snow drifts. They are rushing instead to all the accidents because the streets are slick with de-icer and sand.

Evidently the snow gods picked Houston - not Austin - this time.

Sigh.

In for the Winter

Last evening was just wretched weather-wise. It was cold and raining hard and totally dreary. What should have been a five-minute stop at the bank turned into twenty; the roads were clogged with traffic so badly you might have been better to turn off the cars and use them for stepping stones.

We were supposed to go to a Lady Longhorns game, but it took no arm twisting whatsoever to hope they did well without us. Heat up some soup, wrap the snuggie tight and pick up a good book.

Now that's what I'm talking about!